In case anyone wanted to see my layout, here’s a picture of it:
Cool.
H
And, if you don’t mind my asking, what is the sword?
Thanks for reviving this thread, which inspired me to finally give standing a try. I’m luck to have a desk that has back that rises up to about chest level. That part of it has nooks for files, mail, etc. but when I put my old Cinema Display on top, it’s the perfect height. The desk part actually folds in, allowing me to stand at the recommended distance from the monitor. The keyboard sits a little higher than optimal, but no problems so far, and I could easily fix that if any crop up.
I tried this years ago when the fad first hit but it never took, in part because that was before I realized, from later articles, that the key isn’t to stand, or sit, or recline, or maintain any position for more than 30 minutes or so. So I try to use the monitor only when I’m actually Scrivening or doing something else that really needs the big monitor’s 24" area. If I’m just reading or checking email or surfing or editing, I do it on my iPad Pro, either sitting at a desk or reclining on the couch, and again try to get up after half an hour or so. (There are plenty of pomodoro style free timers for iOS and MacOS that facilitate this.) This also lets me take frequent advantage of the lovely orchard view outside one of my windows, which the big desk would block. I could also disconnect my MacBook from the monitor for sitting or couch use if needed.
Results after a week: I do feel more energized, my hips (which I’d noticed tightening up after some extended desk=bound sessions over the past few weeks) feel a little looser during yoga sessions, and my lower back hurts sometimes and tightens up. I’d read that back and foot pain was common when you start standing, and I’ve not encountered the latter yet, but boy, I hope that the new muscles I’m supposedly building will alleviate the backache. I’d appreciate any advice about that. I’m trying really hard to maintain good posture and also just move while standing, like rocking back and forth, doing some side leg lifts, anything to avoid just standing stock still. I do notice that I feel a bit more energized while standing, or shifting workspaces, but might just be attributable to the novelty of the situation, or a placebo effect.
Anyway, I plan to keep it up unless my back objects. Will report long term results if I remember. Would love to hear more stories about this from other Scriveners.
Make sure your version of “good posture” is actually good posture as defined by someone qualified. Seems that everytime a posture argument starts up around me a Dr type looks at the arguers and make a statement that can be condensed to “STFU you idiots”.
Oddly, Vic-k is never in the arguments. I wonder what that means…
Paternal grandfather’s Mason sword. He died before I was old enough to know him. The American Flyer trains up on the shelves, the sword and a few other bits of his Masonic regalia, and some of his WWII medals are all I have of him.
Thanks, devin. I’m not a Mason, but I thought I recognised the style.
From my paternal grandfather, I inherited a collection of lead soldiers, dating from the days of the British Empire before the First World War. I learnt the other day that he collected them as a boy by being given a few every time he had a date with the dentist. Given the state of dentistry then, and given that there are a number of soldiers in the collection, I think he must have been a brave lad!
I’m getting on quite well with the standing desk arrangement. I’ve installed “Rest Time” on my computer, to remind me to change locations and head off to the dining room, where my standing desk contraption is set up on the table. Somehow, just getting an alarm or audible warning doesn’t work for me, as I tend to say to myself “I’ll just finish this email”, and before I know it, two more hours have passed and I’m still ploughing through emails without moving. Having the screen go dark on me for a set period of time each hour helps me to get over that.
But I have had to buy a new wireless keyboard. Sadly, my lovely Apple Wireless Keyboard started switching itself off, or refusing to turn on, or disconnecting half way through pairing, and all our attempts to revive it failed. So I have now bought the Magic Keyboard instead, and it arrived today. I don’t like it much. No idea why Apple have got rid of the lovely slope and thin feel of the previous version. And there was nothing wrong with the old key mechanism, so I don’t know why they changed that. This new model feels cheap and ugly in comparison, despite the fact that the price has gone up enormously. Grrrr.
Other than the keyboard quibble, though, it’s going much better than on my previous attempts, and I think I will stick with it this time. I had to make a deliberate effort not to lock my knees during the first two days, but I have got over that tendency now, and I find myself standing naturally and fairly comfortably, shifting about a bit each time I pause in typing (a bit like Scrivener’s auto-save!). I’m not standing for as long as I sit each day, as I am limiting the time on my feet to the battery life of my ageing MacBook Pro. But I am definitely moving about more, and I can’t help feeling that this must be a Good Thing.
Aw, sorry to hear that. I love my old Apple Wireless Keyboard and use it with my iPad Pro now, either on a desk with the iPad raised up a foot or so on a stand, or on my old incase origami keyboard cover and stand for couch work.
I’ve heard mixed reviews about the Magic Keyboard too. A consensus seems to be building around the Logitech Bluetooth Easy-Switch Keyboard K811, which is cheaper than the Apple kit, switchable among three different devices, and backlit to boot. I’ve never tried it myself, but if my AWC ever expires, that’s the one I’m likely to try. The article linked above also discusses a cheaper, non-backlit Logitech option. If you’re still within your return-for-refund window, maybe give one of them a try and let us know how it turns out?
Glad to hear standing is sitting well with you!
There was a time, now shrouded by the swirling proverbials, when an elderly gentleman, aged a hundred plus years was asked by a media type chappie, to what did he attribute his longevity and good health? The elderly gent replied, unhesitatingly, “Well, young fella, I never stood up, when I could sit down … and I never sat down when I could lie down.”
Repeat that process 30 times a day and you’re good to go. . . . 
Dave
… and!! if you add to that, the extra 30 times a day up and down stairs, as well as the umpteen times day you go up and down looking for the wotnots-n-thingybijibs, because you can’t remember where you’ve left them, you’ll be fitter than a fell-runner en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fit_as_a_butcher%27s_dog 
It’s been a month since I started standing for much of my writing, and here’s that promised update. I’m now using the standing set up described a few posts ago for almost all of my actual published writing, which amounts to several hours per day, depending on the assignment and deadlines. As noted earlier, per recent ergonomic studies, I’m making it a point to move a little bit almost constantly rather than standing stock still – shifting the position of my legs, bending knees, occasional twists etc. That has very recently been facilitated by this item, which provides not only much more welcome cushioning than the folded old yoga mat that preceded it, but also positively encourages movement.
For the same reason, I’m also forcing myself to shift positions every half hour or so. (I haven’t resorted to the free pomodoro-style timer that would alert me to do so when immersed in writerly reverie.) I now have three different writing stations in my study, in ascending order of sloth:
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the standing set up (really a shelf at the back of the desk I already had; it’s one of those Scandinavian things in which the desktop surface slides into shelving, allowing me to stand a couple of feet from my old Cinema Display), which I use actual Scrivening when I need the bigger screen for displaying split screen and document notes.
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a little window desk that overlooks a lovely orchard and weeping willow. I used to use my MacBook (when not docked to the display) here, but have since reserved it for the iPad Pro, because I can raise the screen higher (on one of the file tray organizers and a cheap little portable elevating iPad/iPhone stand) and use my old Apple Wireless Keyboard. I can actually see the trees above and around it, whereas the display would have blocked my view. I use it when the small screen will be enough, like for email or editing a single document or writing a short article or section of a story where I don’t need lots of reference material displayed. I’m lucky have a nice ergonomic deskchair bought from one of those office supply re-sellers that bought up rafts of office equipment during the recession and resells them out of a warehouse for pennies on the dollar. This is also the set up I use when I’m working away from my home office, on campus or when traveling, except that I bring along the thinner, more portable Logitech Keys to Go keyboard and the little folding stand, or just use my iPad cover as a stand.
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my couch, where I read and browse, write L&L forum posts like this one, deal with email, and occasionally edit documents, all on the iPad pro, which nests in my cheap old Incase Origami keyboard case along with the Apple keyboard it was built for, all squatting on one of those padded lapdesks I’ve had since college. What I love about this (besides, well, couchy comfort) is the fact that I can just grab the iPad and hold it like a book or magazine when I’m reading, which is primarily what I do at this station. But, if I do need to write something longer, like an email message or comment on a document or a forum post, I can easily slip the iPad into the Origami case. It’s much easier than extracting it from a keyboard case, and I get to use my favorite full sized keyboard to boot. Moving from reading to writing with the keyboard and back takes approximately 1 second.
So far, I’m really enjoying this triple set up. I feel more assertive somehow when standing to write, and I’ve noticed that the stiffness in my back I’d noticed the first few days appears to be abating, whether from simply developing more muscular support due to repetition, the new mat cushion, the frequent shifting of station and position, who knows? And just shifting position seems to give me a bit of a refresh. I usually manage to find an excuse to walk over and do some brief household task when I know it’s time for a break or position shift. I feel very lucky that except for the mat, I didn’t have to buy anything to make this happen. From what I’ve read and experienced, the key seems to be just making sure we move frequently, regardless of the writing position we’re in, and therefore, I think it’s time to end this post and get back to standing and writing that story due on Monday! I hope this is helpful to other writers. I can attach photos if anyone would find that useful.
Just seen this, Brett (after a couple of weeks away). The mat certainly looks interesting, and, apart from its progress report on standing, your review is also suggestive of my notion that the iPad Pro could be a valuable tool for many writers - less is more. Many thanks.